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By Ben Voss
Daily Sports Writer
It didn't look like it would be a fair
fight.
,Michigan 120-pound Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu captain Mandeng Tirmizi looked
up at his 200-pound opponent tower-
ing over him. He planned his first
move, and considered his alternatives
if his plan should fail. Though confi-
dent in his abilities, he wasn't sure if
he could win against the largest oppo-
nent he had ever faced.
People in the audience at the Gra-
cie National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tour-
nament in Columbus covered their
eyes as though they were going to see
a massacre. But little did they know,
David was about to defeat Goliath.
After a series of tumbles, locks and
pins, Tirmizi defeated his opponent 3-
2 in his biggest win of the season last
weekend.
"That was the best feeling ever,"
Tirmizi said. "When the referee
raised my arm (to show victory) after
the fight, I started jumping around I
was so excited."
The crowd that sat on the edge of
their seats for most of the match pre-

sented Tirmizi with a standing ovation.
Tirmizi's teammates were completely
shocked at his performance.
"They couldn't say anything for a
couple seconds," Tirmizi said. "They
were impressed and surprised at the
same time."
Tirmizi's match demonstrated the
concept behind Brazilian Jiu Jitsu;
it's not the size of the competitor that
wins fights, but how well he masters
the techniques. The moves mainly
involve different ways to immobilize
the opponent. The sport is a blend
between the principles of wrestling
and Jiu Jitsu.
"It's a lot like chess," senior club
president Jason May said. "Every
move sets up another move to be
made."
A Judo and Jiu Jitsu master devel-
oped the art in Brazil in 1914. It was
later made famous in the '90s by Ulti-
mate Fighting Championship compet-
itor Royce Gracie.
When walking into the mat room
where Michigan's club trains, one
quickly realizes the sport is not like
other martial arts. The sparring
takes place like a wrestling match on
the ground. There are no boards to

mile Efithlgan gal
Athlete of the Week
Name: Katie Bruzdzinski Team: Volleyball
Hometown: Naperville, Ill Class: Freshman
Why: The freshman recorded a career-high 23
kills in Michigan's 3-2 comeback win over Purdue
on Saturday. In the deciding game, Bruzdzinski
had three kills and the match-clinching ace to
lead the Wolverines to a 15-13 final-set victory.
'M' SCHEDULE

break, elaborate forms to memorize
or "ayah's" to yell. The studio is rela-
tively quiet as fighters tumble on the
ground, smacking into the mats.
While the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club
has members from a wide variety of
martial arts backgrounds, some of
its members have joined without any
previous training. The club's member-
ship not only includes undergraduate
and graduate students, but professors
at Michigan, as well.
Those who join see the sport as an
opportunity to learn an art that keeps
them in shape, while giving them the
skills they need to defend themselves
in real-life situations.
"They say that 90 percent of real
fights end up on the ground," Tirmizi
said.
This season, the club's only two
women joined after hearing about the.
organization's benefits at Festifall.
"I really liked the idea that size
doesn't matter in the fights," 5-foot-4
freshman Anna De Caneva said. "It's
good for self-defense."
Upon joining the club, De Caneva
realized she would be the only female
in the group. She called her friend,
freshman Lynn Siarelli, to see if she

would be interested in joining the
club.
"(When she called), I was like,
'yeah, I want to beat someone up!'''
Siarelli said.
For those with prior martial arts
experience, they enjoy the challenge
that comes with earning belts in Bra-
zilian Jiu Jitsu. Unlike other arts,
where one can advance multiple belts
in matter of months, it may take years
for a competitor to advance from the
first to the second level.
"A competition is very important
because you advance based on beating
other competitors in your own rank,"
said May, who took four years to rise
from white belt to blue belt.
Tirmizi, who also has a green
belt in Tae Kwan Do, felt Brazil-
ian Jiu Jitsu was a perfect fit for his
small size. He trains five to six days
a week with the club and at a local
dojo. While he has been successful in
the sport, he credits his accomplish-
ments to his talented instructors and
teammates.
"I'm always the smallest guy," said
Tirmizi. "When I won, I proved that
(the art) works even for the small
guys."

Varsity not the only one
to take bye week
There was a time when the
Michigan Daily football writers
ripped on their colleague
Bob Hunt. He was an easy
target, being as many as six
games away from his nearest
competitor. They said that he
was too focused on "On the
Road" to make quality picks.
But things are starting to turn
around for Mr. Hunt, as the
Wolverines weren't the only ones
to take a bye week. Gennaro
Filice, who repeatedly knocked
Hunt for having a sub-.500 record,
finds himself tied with his beat
member at, wouldn't you know
it, 64-65-4. Even the coin Filice
flipped this week, which served
as a campus celebrity, went an
abysmal 5-10. Sharad Mattu, who
took pride in ripping on Hunt the
most, fell back to earth and no
longer has the lead. Even Hunt
hasn't gone 5-10 this season.
The new leader is Chris Burke,
whose picks of Oregon State and
Texas gave him a 7-8 week and a
one-game lead. But with everyone
within four games of each other,
it should be an interesting finish. °1

*1

Arkansas South Carolina

Tennessee
5.10 (U1)
67-624(5-4)

Miami
540fl(04)
67-62-4(6-3)

II

HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
Associated Press Poll for the week of Nov. 2-8
Games updated through Nov. 8

Next week:
Arizona
Nebraska
Georgia
at Washington
at Michigan State
at Kansas
at Wyoming
at Auburn
at Vanderbilt
Northwestem
at Virginia
Miami
N.C. State
TCU
Boston College
at San Jose State
Alabama
Maryland
Baylor
at Minnesota
at Memphis
Texas Tech
Washington State
at West Virginia
Rice